Because You're Different
by Amber Treelights
Summary: The war is over in the nations, and Gaara's council wants him to find a wife from the Leaf Village. But who will the Kazekage choose?
1. Prologue

**"Because You're Different"**  
**Prologue**

* * *

Ever since the war had ended, they'd been pressuring him to choose someone. And while he understood the need for one of his status to not dawdle along with decisions such as these, he also knew that such decisions took time. The Kazekage couldn't have just _anyone _for a bride, after all. He needed someone…different.

The council had had their hearts set on the Haruno girl for a while now, he knew; they'd mentioned her to him a few times, though they'd probably wanted to put much more emphasis on it than that. A fine choice, they'd deemed her, as she had strength, beauty, and not to mention she'd helped the village a great deal in the past. Technically, Gaara couldn't deny that they were right – Sakura was indeed a good candidate, logically speaking. But emotionally, he'd never really felt one way or another towards her. And even despite that, it didn't take a genius to notice the feelings her blonde-haired comrade held for her; what kind of a friend would he be to steal that away? No. The council would just have to get over that silly suggestion.

But Sakura or no Sakura, they wanted him with a Leaf girl. The two villages had always held a shaky relationship in the past, and they truly felt that their Kazekage choosing a kunoichi from Konoha would help. Which it could, he supposed. It seemed to make sense. But only time would tell. And as Gaara had no particular interest in anyone from his own village, he surely didn't mind.

There were few girls from the Leaf he really knew. He'd gone over them in his mind in the past, one by one, wondering if any of them at all would accept such an invitation as marriage to the Kazekage. Never would he force this on anyone, of course; if none of them wanted him, none of them wanted him. It was simple as that, and he'd just have to go beyond the ones he knew. He'd rather not deal with too big of a hassle, though; and luckily for him, a lot of the girls from his own village seemed to find him attractive. Perhaps things like that worked similarly in other nations as well.

Nevertheless…he didn't really want someone who found him attractive, as much as he wanted someone who would simply accept him, forget the horrible past he held, and love the person he'd successfully become. That was his biggest worry, really: that none of them would be capable of doing such a thing. He'd learned over the years that it was much easier for people to forget something good, than something bad. And even today, whenever he visited Konoha, he often received more fearful glances than forgiving smiles.

But then, there was always one girl who'd never really looked at him one way or another. At first he'd always thought the look in her eyes was something close to pain, as if she was always wondering how he could've done such things he'd done in the past. But over time the look had changed, or perhaps…it was just his perception that'd changed. He didn't really know. But it didn't matter. Because whichever it was, he could tell more than anything, that one of them, either her or him, had realized they'd been wrong. And _that _was the real change.

He supposed he knew her, in a sense. They weren't close, but perhaps close to being closer. He'd actually grown pretty close to everyone in her specific team, all except her. Which could be looked at in a slightly humorous sort of light; but he didn't see it that way. He'd gone over each of the girls he knew, but for a reason he didn't understand, his mind would wander back to her, sometimes a second and third time. Most of the times, he'd brush it off, thinking it was simply because she was the only one in the team who didn't willingly start a conversation with him. But lately, he'd been taking it into a bit more consideration, or more specifically, taking _her _into a bit more consideration. He didn't know much about her, but he knew she could handle herself fairly well. She was modest, and as far as he could tell, never worried about her looks as much as the other females he knew. Some might say she was the least exciting to look at in terms of beauty, but Gaara knew better. Often things held their own special beauty, even when some weren't able to see them; he'd lived in the vast, virtually greenless desert all his life, and there was still no other place he'd rather call home. That was the way he'd been viewing this girl's beauty for a while now.

She wasn't ugly by any means. No. Her beauty was just…different. Simple. Plain. Natural. She never flaunted herself, like the others, or tried to mask the imperfections she might have. She just was. A pure shinobi – the type of girl who'd rather be known for skill than beauty, acts than looks. And he liked that about her. In order to find her, one had to search.

"I've decided."

He finally told the council in the end. He'd waited and waited, and the thoughts had never changed. He was drawn to her. He didn't know why. But…maybe, just maybe, she could also be drawn to him, if given a chance to be. It was time for another trip to Konoha.

* * *

**Oh how I love prologues. And crack pairings. :D  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**"Because You're Different"  
Chapter 1  
**

* * *

Gaara had never told his council why he objected to their suggestion of Sakura, beyond the simple fact that he just didn't want her as a mate. So when he'd mentioned his own personal choice to them, they didn't really seem to care who she was, as long as she was a Leaf shinobi. Which was good. If they'd known he hadn't wanted to steal her from Naruto, there was a chance, knowing them, that they'd have pushed it aside as a mere worry, and tried to convince him that he wasn't stealing her from anyone. Which would've been bad.

But luckily, this hadn't happened; he'd taken the journey to Konoha with Kankurou and one of the council members, and was now only worried that the decision he'd made wouldn't end the way he didn't want to face. Once he'd prepared himself, he'd convinced his two companions to let him continue on alone. After all, he didn't want any pressure at all in this invitation, and…he had a quick detour to take as well. But most of all, he didn't want the two with him to know just yet that he wouldn't be completing his mission until the next day – the detour had to come first. It was that important. To him, anyway.

* * *

"Gaara? Gaara, it IS you!"

With the grin Gaara hadn't seen since he didn't remember how long ago, the bushy-browed taijutsu master came rushing down the hill he'd been training on, probably happier than even he could obviously make known. It was always a sight to see Rock Lee excited, sometimes even a bit overwhelming, especially for one who never really could show excitement as well as others. Gaara blinked, waiting for his friend's common burst of joy to subside.

"It's been so LONG, Gaara! You haven't come to the village in FOREVER! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ACTUALLY HERE! Wait 'till I tell everyone! Wait 'till you see all my AMAZING new talents! GAI-SENSEI! HE'LL BE GO GLAD TO SEE YOU! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAYYY!"

It took close to ten minutes for the spasm to come to a complete end, with a few pseudo-ends in between the time period. It was almost too much for the calm-natured redhead, but he continued to stay calm; after all, he'd never stopped feeling that he owed everything to Lee and his sensei, having almost killed him and completely taken his dream away. It wasn't something one forgets easily, and it was still a miracle the two of them had ever forgiven him in the first place.

Finally, everything was back to normal; Lee had begun his training again, as Gaara had caught him in the middle of it, and there was finally time for Gaara to get down to the business he'd truly taken this detour for. He always enjoyed seeing Lee, Naruto, and the other friends he'd made in the Leaf, but nevertheless, this particular visit, this detour, had a purpose beyond simply seeing old friends.

"So, you never told me, what brings you here, Gaara?" the green beast asked as he practiced his favorite kick. "I mean, I like that you're here, but you usually don't come so randomly."

The observation was true.

Gaara said, "I have something I need to speak with you about."

"And what would that be?"

Of all things, the thing Gaara always liked most about Lee, was that no matter how long he went without talking to someone, no matter what all had happened in the past or the present, he always held a conversation as if nothing made any difference in friendships. Days, months, even years could pass, and he'd talk as if he'd spoken to the person every day for the period of absence; a promise could be broken, and he'd forgive it almost instantaneously. Lee was the epitome of a true friend.

But enough thoughts had passed. It was time for business.

"It's about Tenten."

The words had surprised him, as Lee immediately paused from his training to turn and face the Kazekage. Gaara wasn't sure if the surprise was from him mentioning Tenten, as he'd probably never done before, or from the sheer curiosity of what he could have to say about his friend's teammate.

"Tenten?" the boy stifled a small laugh. "Whatever about her?"

Obviously Gaara's first thought had been correct.

He continued hesitantly, "What does she think of me?"

With a look of surprise even greater than the first, Lee obviously had no idea how to respond to such a question. Nevertheless, he brought a hand to his head and averted his eyes a moment, honestly considering it. He appeared strangely thoughtful for a while, and finally looked back to his friend, shrugging his green-clad shoulders once, eyes wide.

"She likes you alright, I'm sure," he told him. "But she doesn't really talk about you much, so I don't know much more than that. How come?"

At the next question, Gaara carefully pulled together his answer. More than anything, he was glad to know Tenten didn't blatantly dislike him, or if she did, her teammates didn't know about it (which made it unlikely). But it was time to tell Lee his purpose, and while he knew how protective of his team Lee could be, he also knew Lee would really have no say in this matter, unless he was in love with her, which Gaara doubted. But in any case, the redhead wasn't asking for permission; he was asking for advice. And hopefully, very hopefully, Lee would give him some. He spoke.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

The moment after the statement was a bit blurry, as while he didn't show it, Gaara _was _a bit nervous; he'd no idea how the bowl-cut boy would react, and he'd really no idea if everything would go uphill or down from here. He didn't want Lee telling everyone the news, honestly. So in whichever response he'd give, Gaara hoped he wouldn't have another spasm. As he watched, Lee's first impression was another of surprise; actually, so much surprise, it could've made anyone think he'd seen a flying pig.

The boy's next words were just barely over a whisper, and coated with the most oblivious-sounding sincerity Gaara could ever say he'd heard. Funny, considering Gaara wasn't expecting him to view this as something he'd been ignorant of for some long period of time.

Lee said, "Gaara, you're…you're in love with Tenten? I am so sorry, I had no idea! …Why didn't you say something sooner?"

At the questions, Gaara could do absolutely nothing but look away, feeling a bit of warmth in his cheeks and hoping he didn't appear as nervous as he felt. _In love… _He'd never been in love before; so he wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to feel. He knew the girl made him feel _something. _If she didn't, he wouldn't be here telling her comrade all of this, nor would he be contemplating marriage with her. He was learning, though, that love dealt with experience almost as much as feeling – and the closer he got to her, the more feelings he experienced. It was all new to him, and quite strange. But despite that, he liked it. He just didn't know if Tenten would.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake, asking her?"

"Oh no! Not at all!" Lee was back to his normal self again, thank goodness. "Tenten is a wonderful person! One of the best people I know!"

"That's not what I meant…"

It took Lee a moment to realize Gaara's worry was that Tenten wouldn't be accepting of his feelings, not that Tenten wasn't a good choice for a wife. He knew Tenten; maybe not as well as certain others did, but from all the times he'd been around Team Gai, he'd certainly been able to recognize the kind of person she was, recognize a good bit of the personality she held, and the things she was capable of.

"Ohhh," he gave a nod. "I see, you're scared."

The redhead tensed at the choice of words; he didn't like thinking of himself as scared. Of anything. But truthfully, he kind of was. If Lee wasn't completely sure how she felt about him, then there was no way of knowing the chances of her saying yes or no. But then again, she could very possibly like him a lot, yet not want to marry him.

Lee continued, putting a hand to his shoulder, "There, there. If you want, I could talk to her for you. Before you ask. And tell you how it goes."

Yes, he could. But Gaara didn't want anyone else accidentally pressuring her into saying yes. Even if she didn't seem like the type who could be swayed easily, there was always a chance. If she was going to marry him, he wanted it to be her decision. Entirely her decision.

"Don't mention it to her yet. If it's meant to happen, it will."

Hesitantly, Lee nodded.

* * *

Since the moment he'd walked in, she'd noticed _something _different; she just hadn't yet been able to place it. Lee was happy a lot, happier than most of the people she knew, but tonight's happy was a slightly different type of happy. Sort of a nervous happy. But nevertheless, Tenten had brushed it aside, as she was much more interested in the book she was reading, and the popcorn she was eating. She didn't want to simply be rude, though, and much to Lee's hidden dismay, she commenced conversation.

"How was training?"

Her teammate froze for a moment, as he'd been trying to escape the situation _before _the talking began; he knew as well as anyone that keeping secrets was not his forte. As Tenten didn't know of any secrets, however, she only continued to view Lee's behavior as odd, and left it at that.

Lee answered her, "Training went well…and…yours?"

"…Great." She popped a few more pieces of popcorn in her mouth with a slightly confused expression. _Training went well. _Only the exact opposite of how his training details usually went. More like _Neji's _details, actually. Short, imageless, and to the point. Forget odd. More like scary. She was almost ready to ask him if he was sick, but decided against it.

"That's very good!" Lee paused. "Well…bye!"

"…Bye…"

The boy turned to leave, and was about to make a clean getaway, glad he hadn't spilt any of the information Gaara hadn't wanted him to, but when he'd almost come to the exit of the room, he stopped. The only _secret_ information was the proposal; and suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of curiosity, and worry. What if Tenten really wouldn't accept such a proposal? Perhaps she didn't even _want _to marry…she'd never really spoken of it. And technically speaking, he didn't even know how she felt about Gaara in general.

It wouldn't hurt to _mention _Gaara, as long as he didn't say too much…right?

* * *

**Well, if you read this without looking at the characters, and guessed who Gaara's choice was, I hope you guessed right.  
Or at least don't mind if you guessed wrong. Lol.  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**"Because You're Different"  
Chapter 2****  
**

* * *

It'd been no time at all before he'd told her just about everything.

Of all things, Tenten had never thought for even a second that _this _would be what Lee was hiding from her. Gaara didn't even know her! Well…maybe he did know her, but not well enough to be in love with her…did he? They'd barely even spoken beyond a simple conversation with the whole team, about ninja life, and things of that sort. Nothing personal. Nothing that seemed like a relationship starter.

She sighed. She was alone, in front of her mirror now; and this act had even more questions rolling around in her mind. What exactly did Gaara like about her, if he was so interested? She wasn't much of a sight to see. Not like the others, anyway. She didn't have Ino's cerulean blues, or Hinata's adorably petite, yet wonderfully-shaped body. She didn't have Sakura's soft, cherry blossom hair and perfectly complementing green eyes. She only had her own big, brown eyes, and waves she kept pinned up all the time. Tenten wasn't like them; she never cared what she looked like when she went on missions, she never had. Hell, she didn't do a thing except throw on something comfortable and put her hair up in the usual Chinese buns to keep it out of the way (at the moment, her hair was braided into two pig-tails. She didn't always wear it in buns, after all. It was just her favorite mission style, as it gave her one less thing to worry about). She was practical, not perfect. A bruises-and-scars kind of girl. And definitely not the type the boys fawned over – so why did _he _want her?

This was something she didn't understand, but at the same time, she couldn't help but think about continuously, ever since Lee had told her. Marrying Gaara…she didn't see it as a bad thing; in fact, she'd always respected Gaara. He was indeed a good person now, and despite past issues, he was a good friend to all of them. But marriage in general…had always been something she'd slid aside, planning to worry about in the future. Future, however, had come. She wasn't a little girl anymore. Oh, how often she forgot such details – but nevertheless, they were true. She _did _need to think about these things. And she _did _need a good father for the future children she wanted to raise as shinobi.

Gaara… Could he be that person? The one she'd been waiting for? She found it odd, considering he'd been a friend to her team for quite some time now, and she couldn't recall any feelings of that sort. But…perhaps that was only because the right time hadn't come for them. She was still surprised he hadn't picked one of the other girls; she couldn't deny that he was a beautiful man. Such captivating eyes – before he'd been a friend to them, she'd always thought they looked filled beyond reason with a pain no one could understand, and now, truly knowing him beyond that, she still thought they held similar mysteries. She'd not only seen him in an outer perspective, but an inner as well. She'd watched him change, escape from the past evils he once knew, and become the person he now was. It'd been the only way she'd truly been able to forgive him for hurting Lee the way he had; but she had. All humans made mistakes, after all, no matter how big or small.

She supposed she _did _know him, and he her. True, the two of them had never spoken on that much of a regular basis, or even that much at all in the long-run, but there'd always sort of been a silent understanding between them. He'd hurt Lee. She'd never been able to grasp how anyone could hurt such a person as Lee. He'd changed. Lee'd forgiven him. Neji and Gai had forgiven him. She'd forgiven him. He'd become a friend. A good friend. They'd all gone from terrified of him, hating him, to loving him. Despite how quiet she could be around him, she loved him too. And apparently, he loved her, more than she knew.

Gathering all the thoughts together, Tenten, though still in slight disbelief that she could be so worthy of him, was actually kind of…happy about it. And before she knew it, she was looking at her reflection in the mirror again, and surprised to see how rosy her cheeks had become.

"…Damn."

* * *

"You didn't even speak to her yet?"

Brow raised, the council member was obviously not pleased to know the three of them would be staying in the Leaf Village even longer than first planned. Gaara knew from the start that they'd be expecting him to hurry along as if life itself depended on it, and at the question, he gave a soft snort. He hated being treated as if he didn't know what he was doing; but he supposed, being as young as he was (for a Kazekage, anyway), things of that sort were nearly inevitable. Even if, technically, he really _wasn't_ entirely certain what he was doing.

His older brother nudged the man slightly. "Don't worry. We're not gonna stay here forever; you'll be back to your safe little home in no time."

The statement obviously offended the man, as he gave Kankurou quite an annoyed glare, but luckily for them, he took the hint and bade them goodnight. Once he'd gone, Gaara sighed quietly, giving a grateful, yet small smile to his brother. Sometimes he really couldn't stand the council.

Despite past plans he might've had, Gaara had wound up telling Kankurou just about everything. He'd needed someone to talk to, after all, and he was lucky to have a brother and a sister for things of that sort. He trusted them. They trusted him. And though Temari wasn't with them at the time, she'd soon know of everything as well. Kankurou had been surprised to find out the girl Gaara had in mind was Tenten – _that little shrimp Temari nearly killed? _That was what he'd called her. He'd laughed, even when Gaara had defended her, but he'd meant no real harm. He'd not a single problem with his brother's choices, usually, and this one was no exception. Gaara couldn't deny the choice was indeed a strange one, when put in those terms, but nevertheless, he wasn't planning on changing his mind now. He didn't want any of the other Konoha girls; he wanted her. She was different, and different was perfect.

"I saved your ass this time, bro, but you better ask the girl tomorrow."

"I will."

And he would. Despite how nervous he knew he'd be, he knew his brother was right. He couldn't just continue to hold the plan off until he felt perfectly ready for it – hell, he didn't even think it was possible to be perfectly ready to ask a girl's hand in marriage. With any proposal, there was always a chance of being unaccepted; and that was what he feared the most.

Even still, the next morning, he prepared himself for the initial quest.

* * *

**Sorry if this is moving along kinda too quickly.  
I had originally intended for it to be a one-shot, but when I finished, I had 14 pages of one-shot.  
So I separated it into chapters.(:  
**


	4. Chapter 3

**"Because You're Different"  
Chapter 3  
**

* * *

When Gaara arrived at the team home of Gai and his students, it was a bit past noon. Lee had been awaiting the arrival since the break of dawn, and of course, was excited beyond reason to see the Kazekage again. He hadn't told anyone else the news, as even though he _had _accidentally allowed Tenten to know, he still knew she probably didn't want everyone else to know as well, in case she wasn't prepared to accept the marriage offer. Lee still had no idea what her plans were, after all. She'd never told him.

Gai, and even Neji (though not as enthusiastically as the others) welcomed Gaara's visit.

"Well, look who's here!" the man shone his familiar grin. "Lee told us you were in town!"

Gaara nodded his head in a polite bow, glad he was welcomed, even if he hadn't come for a simple visit like any other. He would stay as long as time would allow, perhaps one more day, but as much as he'd like to stay longer, his own village wouldn't be able to do without him for _too _long. Times like these almost made him wish he could give up being Kazekage for a while…almost.

"It's been a while," he answered.

When Tenten finally made her appearance, he immediately noticed the awkward behavior she possessed, which only made him wonder if she'd somehow found out. She didn't make much eye contact with him; she smiled shyly a couple times, but other than that, she didn't really make an effort to commence conversation, or anything. Her hair was still braided into pig tails, though he'd no idea it'd been like that before, and he couldn't help but notice the difference between that and the usual style. He wondered if it was a new habit, or something she'd always done behind the scenes of ninja life. Either way, he liked it.

He wasn't planning on asking her yet. He was going to wait until later; perhaps in the evening hours, and definitely not now that his presence was the center of attention. He didn't want her to worry what others would think of her answer, and honestly, he'd much rather wait until he could ask her alone.

Soon, they were all seated for lunch.

Neji cleared his throat. "How are things at home?"

"Things are alright."

It was true enough. Even with the council and their crazy worries. Suna was doing better than they'd done in the past, and now that the worst was over, all they wanted was a continuum of peace – which was where Tenten would come in, hopefully. Gaara honestly didn't care at this point whether she would bring more peace or not; he just hoped for a yes.

He continued, "And here?"

"Couldn't be better!" Gai grinned. "You should just see how much stronger these kids are since the last time you were around!"

Lee chimed in. "Gai-sensei, I thought you said before that we were not kids anymore!"

"Ohhh, you'll always be kids to me, Lee! No matter how old ya get!"

Neji tried to avoid rolling his eyes at the statement, and Tenten only continued to stay quiet, though she couldn't help but smile at the antics of her sensei.

When lunch had ended, the conversations had switched from whereabouts to missions, from missions to skills, and had led specifically to Lee jumping at the chance to show Gaara all he'd learned in the time they'd been apart. He'd mentioned it the day before, so the redhead didn't mind sticking around to see how the taijutsu master had improved. After all, being a shinobi dealt a lot with skill, moves, and improvement. Every one of them had improved, he knew. Eventually, it led to an interest in all Gaara had improved on, so he showed them a few new sand tricks he'd discovered up his own sleeve, and in the end, he and Lee decided to have a small sparring match for old time's sake. Gaara won, but not by much. Which left him wondering if Lee had defeated Neji yet. He never asked, though.

Tenten and Neji hadn't participated in the little practice; Neji was never one to enjoy company as much as the others, though. Tenten joined in sometimes, more often than Neji, but not nearly as much as the hyperactive Lee. Gaara couldn't help but reminisce about all the times he'd spent with Team Gai in the past. The times weren't nearly as numerous as he wished they were, but they were still there, still good memories. It was another reason Tenten seemed such a perfect choice in his mind – she'd always been the only of the girls he knew besides Temari who'd actually spent a few quality times with him. He remembered her smile, her voice. She was a part of Team Gai, the people he'd come to know as almost a kind of second family, even if he didn't spend enough time with them as he should've. Perhaps having her around would change that, bring them even closer than they were. It was a nice thought.

Sooner than he'd thought it would, evening had arrived.

Things had settled down, playtime was over, and in just a few hours, it'd be time for bed. It was about time for Gaara to carry on with the plan. Only problem was, he didn't know where Tenten had gone off to. He hadn't seen her since a bit after lunchtime, and he didn't really want to ask anyone else to help him search – he'd no doubt they'd stick around to see what he wanted with her, their presence possibly creating the type of bias he didn't need.

Discreetly, he looked around the house for her, but found nothing. He wondered if perhaps she'd gone out, maybe to run some kind of errand, or gone back to her usual residence; this place was just a second-home for the team, after all. If she'd done that, he hoped she'd return, for he wasn't planning to go on some wild goose chase just for one small question (even though if he'd known for certain she'd be there, he probably would've). Eventually, his searching had led him outside and behind the house as he looked up at the darkening sky. The stars would be out soon, he could tell, and what little of them he'd be able to see already had him missing the vast desert. The endlessness, though frightening to some, had always been his favorite thing about Sunagakure.

And such thoughts had clouded his mind so well that he hadn't even noticed he was being watched by the very one he'd come to find.

"…Hey."

Gaara froze, voice reminding him where he was, and hesitantly, he turned to face it, surprised to see its owner atop the roof of the house he'd searched front and back. Of course she'd be in the one place he'd neglected to look. At the eye contact, Tenten averted hers a moment, bringing them back shortly. And suddenly, Gaara had the feeling again, the one he'd gotten when he'd spoken to Lee a day earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if the girl looking at him really caused it.

Finally, he spoke. "How long have you been there?"

She shrugged a bit before jumping down. "Longer than you."

Though they were both on the ground now, there was still a bit of distance between them; neither of them stepped forward. There was a short moment of silence before Tenten spoke for the second time that night.

"I hear I have something to do with this."

Sheepishly, Gaara closed his eyes, feeling his cheeks warming slightly. Lee had told her after all; he couldn't say he cared all that much at the moment, even if it was a bit embarrassing. The worry of bias was about gone. Perhaps it was the situation, perhaps it was something in her voice, but either way, it wasn't in the way.

He opened his eyes again, and answered her. "You do."

A brief pause followed, and when the girl said nothing else, he took a step forward, continuing.

"I have something I need to ask you."

Tenten crossed her arms, looking away at the statement as a rosy pink now tinted her cheeks. Gaara couldn't tell if she was nervous, anticipating, knew exactly where this was going, or all three. He knew he certainly was, and certainly did. And for a small second, he almost felt as if he couldn't continue; taking a breath, he fought the feeling. She would either agree or not. He didn't want it to be over, but…it wasn't as if worrying would change what was to be.

Softly, Tenten spoke again. "Yeah?"

The two of them were a bit closer before he went on. He didn't get too close, as he felt invading such a personal territory might not be such a good idea. Until she said yes, they were friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And swallowing the rest of his annoying worry down, Gaara commenced with the proposal.

He said, "…I wanted to know if you'd like to be my wife."

Though he'd said the words he'd wanted to say, he couldn't help but worry they'd come out horribly wrong; he hadn't the first idea how a proposal was meant to sound, but now he could only hope his was okay. Technically, it was more of a thought than a question, but nevertheless, it was exactly what he'd had on his mind.

The moment after the statement seemed to go on forever, but after much silence, and much worry, he received his answer.

"…I might," she paused. "But…I had a question too."

Tenten's answer confused him for a second, but nevertheless, he gave a hesitant nod.

And with that, she met his gaze, a look in her eyes he'd yet see.

"Why are you asking me this?"

It wasn't a question he'd been expecting at all; but he supposed with someone like her, one could never rely on expectations alone. After all…she wasn't like them. She wasn't the type to accept without a wonder, and she surely wasn't the type to leap into unknown waters.

He answered her. "Because you're different."

It was as true as he could put it. He'd been around her enough to see that she was more than just a pretty face; she was a shinobi. Maybe she wasn't a flower, maybe she didn't try as hard to cover up every imperfection, to win every heart, but that's what he liked about her. She was real. And she didn't plan on changing for anyone, not even him.

Tilting her head at the response, she couldn't even try to hide a smile.

"Different, huh?"

In truth, she would've said yes with or without an answer; she could already tell by the way he'd looked at her, she'd been chosen, not picked. And that was all she'd needed to know.

* * *

"First Neji and now you!"

Gai-sensei hadn't stopped crying all morning. But nobody could deny the reaction was suited for a sensei such as him. Tenten was in his embrace again, for about the tenth time, but she reluctantly let it continue, giving his arm a soothing pat. She was leaving to become the wife of the Kazekage, after all; but nevertheless, she knew the whole team would be visiting for the wedding. Gai would never miss one of his students' marriages. They'd always been like children to him, and he'd never hesitated to show it.

Neji watched at a distance, glad he'd already gotten this over with (he'd been engaged to Hinata for a while), but surprised Tenten could still endure. He'd stopped Gai after the third hug. Lee's distance wasn't as far as his, but he'd mostly been engaging in the crying, not the hugging, thanks to Gai. Ohh, what a team they were.

Tenten said, "I won't be gone forever, Gai-sensei."

This she was certain of; if Gaara planned on keeping her as a wife, he'd better be ready for lots of Konoha visits. There was no way she could ever stay away from her boys for too long.

Once Gai had finished with her, it was Gaara's turn. Tenten couldn't help but laugh at the awkward situation – Gaara wasn't used to her sensei's hugs, nor his dramatic emotions. Still, he allowed it, and tried his best to seem grateful for the gesture. Gai had reacted well to the news that the two of them would be married soon. Even if it had reminded him how quickly his students had grown into true shinobi, he was glad Gaara had chosen Tenten. A good match, he'd called them. And such a response only made Gaara even more grateful that all past issues had been forgiven (even if it did astound him everytime he thought about it).

The goodbyes lasted a good while, even though Gai knew he'd be seeing them again sooner than later. Tenten got a few things prepared, and was soon ready for the three-day trip back to Suna. She could've waited, and gone along with her teammates, as they'd be on their way once the wedding plans were completed…but she hadn't wanted to. She was excited for what her future would hold, even if it did make her just as nervous. Obviously, Gaara loved her, otherwise he would never have chosen her as the woman he wanted to spend the rest of her life with; she knew him well enough to know he'd never play around with matters of that sort. He was different too, after all. Nevertheless, while she couldn't deny she'd been falling more as well lately, thanks to him, she knew the two of them still had a lot to figure out in terms of love. It was new to them, present or not.

And what better way to begin than a long walk home?

* * *

**The end. Unless I do an epilogue, which I may.  
But nevertheless, I hope you've enjoyed this story!**

**Thanks for reading.(: Reviews & favs are appreciated.  
**


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